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One of the worst fires ever seen in England has finally been extinguished. Swinley Forest in Berkshire was swamped in a fierce blaze where the flames leapt to over 60 feet.

A firefighter damps down smoldering undergrowth in Swinley Forest (Getty)

An estimated 55 per cent of the forest’s woodland was wiped out.

The residents in the surrounding area are finally getting back to normal as some of the residents evacuated from their homes were allowed back into their properties.

However, a spokesman for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has advised the locals to tread with caution, saying that there are still some underground ‘hotspots’ remaining.

‘Although it has been possible to reduce the level and intesity of the operational response, there is a continuing risk that remaining hotspots may flare up, particularly as temperatures rise and the strong winds continue,’ they said.

‘The circumstances surrounding the fire are being treated as suspicious, as two 14-year-old boys were arrested in connection with the fire as clips surfaced of them throwing petrol bombs at a tree.

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It took over 170 fire fighters from 12 different counties to put a stop to the blaze.

Similar fires, fuelled by strong winds, struck areas in Dorset, Sussex, North Yorkshire and Northern Ireland.